Hang on. I've always wondered about these crazy cryptic clue thingies, so now is the moment of the post-mortem dissection to see if I can figure out what the Willie Beamish just happened here. So what's with the preposition "for" in the clue? Why would anyone steal for a cup? Is it some sort of oath-bond that makes me do it, or is it for love? What's my motivation? Is the cup a legal accomplice? Or is it just some inanimate object that is completely oblivious to the fact that it has become the beneficiary of my kleptomania? I get that a cup could also be a mug, and that informally a "mug" might refer to a low level criminal (although more correctly the slang refers to a person's face, ie a "mug shot"). Mug also means to rob, as in a mugging, but even then the cup would be an active party to the crime, not the reason for doing it. So "A stealing cup" I'd get, but "A cup to steal for" doesn't work for me, unless someone can explain.

Hang on. I've always wondered about these crazy cryptic clue thingies, so now is the moment of the post-mortem dissection to see if I can figure out what the Willie Beamish just happened here. So what's with the preposition "for" in the clue? Why would anyone steal for a cup? Is it some sort of oath-bond that makes me do it, or is it for love? What's my motivation? Is the cup a legal accomplice? Or is it just some inanimate object that is completely oblivious to the fact that it has become the beneficiary of my kleptomania? I get that a cup could also be a mug, and that informally a "mug" might refer to a low level criminal (although more correctly the slang refers to a person's face, ie a "mug shot"). Mug also means to rob, as in a mugging, but even then the cup would be an active party to the crime, not the reason for doing it. So "A stealing cup" I'd get, but "A cup to steal for" doesn't work for me, unless someone can explain.

I think it involves some supposition, i.e. suppose you really wanted to get a mug (shot). Stealing would be the obvious way to get one.